NASA Releases 1,000 Apps to Public

NASA writes a lot of software, and that software performs a wide variety of functions. The nation's space agency also makes much of that software available to other federal agencies, organizations, businesses, and the public through approximately 1,500 software usage agreements. Now NASA wants to make better use of its intellectual asset portfolio and is releasing a software catalogue with more than 1,000 applications that are available for free to the public.

Software makes up about a third of reported NASA inventions each year, and by publishing a software catalogue the agency hopes to increase the ability of others to make use of its software significantly, said Daniel Lockney, who manages NASA's Technology Transfer Program. The TTP, which oversees the agency's intellectual property and the transfer of technology for commercialization and public use, is part of the agency's Office of the Chief Technologist.

"Traditionally our [apps] were distributed at different offices and labs around the country. So we needed to gather everything in one place," said Lockney in an interview with InformationWeek Government. "We're more excited about the potential of this catalogue because of how valuable it can be. It's our best solution to the problems we've encountered."

It is good that NASA is sharing their software with the public (and the rest of the world that didn't pay for it), but it looks like it is not a priority of the country today since they are tasked with other things outside of space. Too bad we don't care about this any more. I guess it is up to the Russians and Chinese to explore space now.

The lust for power has more to do with psyche than any need, if the USA totally abandons it's imperialist ways (real or imaginary and written with tongue in cheek if that's at all figuratively correct) someone else who craves power will always expand to fill the void. Adolf Hitler rose to power in part because post WWI Europe was so tired of war that no one was interested in pushing back really early.

This is in opposition to the view that we should sit down lay back and relax because we don't want to encourage an arms race.

The real truth of how we need to behave is somewhere inbetween while retaining the ability to react quickly to changing world tensions.

I think we live on this illusion that the world is just not moving forward when indeed things are getting better. I have no comment on the power aspect but I can say this world has a lot of hope. There are lots of brainpower on earth to be hopeless.

"... releasing a software catalogue with more than 1,000 applications that are available for free to the public..."

Is this catalogue already released and available? Are these free or is there a licensing fee applicable as those many published on NASA's website already? I guess this is great initiative for a collaborative technical community across the globe. Some of those great innovations might find some great applications in different domains for the betterment.

The title 'NASA Releases 1,000 Apps to Public' sounds great ... but may be a little misleading. Most people these days think an APP is a quick SmartPhone download. They don't expect to have to find "the assigned tag or number that shows which software release authority (SRA) representative to contact at a dedicated NASA center" after which they must create a software application in a format that is actually useful to the public.